Permaculture Gardens

Grow Your Own Food

March 20, 2019

Grow your own food (and stop throwing away America's #1 export)

Did you guess what the #1 US export is?

The #1 export of the US is....

get ready for it...

SOIL.

"In the United States alone, soil disappears 10 times faster than it is naturally replenished, according to this Cornell University study, at an estimated rate of nearly 1.7 billion tons of farmland alone per year."

As Theodore Roosevelt once said,

"A nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself."

And we return to the soil...

Why is soil so important?

There are other growing mediums (like water) that have proven successful.

Take hydroponics for instance, right?

Why soil?

If by chance you decided to skip the the first few videos that "dug deep" into soil, found HERE. Go ahead and watch 'em again.

We'll wait.

"It takes an average of 20 years for less than a millimeter of soil to naturally replenish itself. "

If you look at the natural process of rock weathering over hundreds of years in order to create soil, then yes, it may take that long a time.

rocks undergo thousands of years of weathering to become soil

But in permaculture, humans intervene in a good way to speed things up, such as in the creation of good soil!

And that means adding compost to your current topsoil.

No matter what state it is currently in.

Make sure to cover that compost with some straw or leaf mulch or "work it in" a little so that it is not open to the eyes of "little critters" like rats and such...

compost in our worm bins

It also helps retain the moisture of your soil in the ground.

This faciliates the breakdown of that compost.

Covering soil is definitely crucial in drylands where the carbon cycle is broken due to it being too dry!

Again, Elaine Ingham says:

"Generally, adding one-half inch to 1 inch of compost every spring will be plenty.

In hot climates, where decomposition is rapid, or in regions with heavy rainfall or sandy soil, make at least two 1-inch applications, one in early spring and the second in late summer or early fall."

Comments 3

In 2013 I participated in the Grow Your Own Produce workshop series with permaculture instructor Marisha Auerbach. I joined the workshop series to expand my knowledge about gardening and obtain first-hand guidance in regards to the design, creation, maintenance, and harvesting of backyard vegetable garden. As an amateur gardener delving into his first vegetable gardening experience I had a lot to learn (and unlearn). The classes were well organized, and I felt comfortable asking questions both during and outside of workshop. Marisha is incredibly knowledgeable about growing food in the Pacific Northwest. Marisha is passionate and curious about growing food, as is evident by her thriving home garden, and her enthusiasm for mindful cultivation of fresh, healthy and local food was inspiring to me. My garden in 2013 was relatively successful! I stewarded a bumper crop of snap peas, and was successful in growing chard, kale, shallots, potatoes, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, and cardoon. My personal goals of not killing everything I planted and wanting to plant a garden next year were achieved! ~ Christopher Kochiss

Thank you for showing the way. I heard you on Jack’s show. My problem is there are so many things to learn and plants. I have started Japanese sweet potatoes from the organic source in the store. I am trying many things and see if they work on my property. I have been lucky and have a source of wood chips from tree work in my neighborhood.

We teach permaculture gardening through our educational blogs and gardening webinars. But more than that, we show you how you can "Grow It Yourself" through our GIY, our personalized backyard gardening program. Inside Grow-It-Yourself / GIY, we take you by the hand so you can maximize your organic backyard yields one step at a time.